ALL ABOUT LUCID DREAMS Last week, I came across a captivating article on lucid dreaming in the January 2025 issue of Scientific American (“Engineering Our Dreams” by Michelle Carr, pp. 48–51). Lucid dreaming is a state in which the dreamer becomes aware that they are dreaming while still within the dream. Michelle Carr, author of the article, is Director of the Dream Engineering Lab at the Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine in Montreal Canada. In her “dream laboratory” she primes sleepers to have lucid dreams by waking them and then prompting them as they fall back asleep. In...
THE TOP 15 FITNESS TRENDS FOR 2025 The most popular fitness trends change every year. Compare the 2025 survey with last year’s post, The Top Fitness Trends for 2024. Here are excerpts from the 19th annual survey from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), published in its Health & Fitness Journal, 2025 ACSM Worldwide Fitness Trends: Future Directions of the Health and Fitness Industry. The editors of this Journal have developed and circulated an electronic survey sent to thousands of professionals around the world to predict trends in the health and fitness industry for the following year. This report for 2025 describes...
NEW GENE EDITING TOOL CALLED SPLICER SHOWS PROMISE IN TREATING ALZHEIMER’S Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a gene-editing tool called SPLICER that helps bypass disease-causing gene sections. In tests on mice, it reduced precursors to amyloid-beta plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. SPLICER outperformed current gene-editing methods and may have the potential for treating other diseases. To keep you informed with the latest advancements in Alzheimer’s disease research, I’m sharing excerpts from this December 23, 2024 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign online article by Liz Ahlberg Touchstone, biomedical sciences editor, titled Gene editing tool reduces Alzheimer’s plaque...
CAN YOU REALLY MANAGE MULTIPLE TASKS AT ONCE? ‘Tis the season to multitask—or so I usually believe this time of year. Between Christmas shopping, holiday gatherings, and travel plans, it feels like juggling everything is the only way to keep up. However, as I (hopefully) grow wiser with age, I’ve come to realize that trying to manage multiple tasks at once often leads to less productivity; when jobs get muddled together, mistakes happen, and I end up spending even more time fixing them. This year, I paused for a moment to explore the realities of this juggling act. If you...
DRIED FRUIT: FUEL SOURCE OR JUST A SUGARY SNACK? For years I’ve downed an energy gel every half hour on my jogs or bike rides. But recently, I’ve come across suggestions for using dried fruit as a substitute. We got an early Christmas gift basket that contained dried fruit, and I decided to give it a try. Yesterday, I grabbed a couple of dried apricots, packed them in a baggie, and stuffed it in my pocket. I ate them midway through my four-mile jog, and surprisingly, they gave me the same energy boost as my usual gel packs. Now, I’m...
RAPAMYCIN: CAN THIS DRUG SLOW AGING? I’ve noticed rapamycin being mentioned in numerous articles from outlets like National Geographic, NPR, and AARP. The buzz surrounding this drug centers on its potential to slow the aging process. Rapamycin, initially approved by the FDA as an immunosuppressant to prevent organ transplant rejection, functions by modulating the immune system and decreasing inflammation. Now, researchers are exploring its broader applications, particularly as a possible intervention to delay aging and improve health span. Seeking a concise update on the latest developments, I came across an article by Graham Lawton on NewScientist.com titled Rapamycin is a...
MAXIMIZE YOUR WALK For most of us seniors, walking is an integral part of our lives. Whether it’s a regular stroll for exercise, an occasional hike, or simply taking the dog out, walking offers many advantages. In the past, I’ve highlighted the assets of this routine, including my November 2018 post titled The Benefits of Walking. Now, to maximize your walk, I offer you six practical tips from the November 20, 2024, online article from Harvard Medical School, titled Get your heart pumping on your walk: According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, adults should aim for...
CBT: EFFECTIVE FOR MANY HEALTH CONDITIONS Like many seniors, I struggle with recurring insomnia. This week, I discovered that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) might be the solution to addressing the challenges of insufficient sleep. While I knew CBT was highly effective for managing mental health issues, I had overlooked its usefulness in treating non-psychological health conditions such as fibromyalgia, migraines, tinnitus, and insomnia. Curious to learn more, I delved into how CBT works. If you’re interested in this goal-oriented approach to therapy, I offer excerpts from an article by ClevelandClinic.org titled Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). What is cognitive behavioral therapy...
FINALLY, A SIMPLE BLOOD TEST FOR COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING I recently read that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first-ever blood test for colorectal cancer screening. This test, called Shield, is a game-changer because FDA approval means it will likely be covered by many insurance plans. For those with Medicare Part B, there are no out-of-pocket costs, while Medicare Advantage enrollees may only need to provide a co-pay. Interestingly, during my annual wellness visit with my primary care doctor last week, she recommended I get screened for colorectal cancer, as it had been a while since...
SHOULD YOU RSVP TO THE RSV VACCINE? At least once a week, I get a text from CVS advising me to come in for my RSV vaccination. I haven’t gone, mostly because I know next to nothing about RSV other than it causes cold-like symptoms. In fact, I had what seemed like a cold a couple of months ago—maybe it was RSV? Thinking that we seniors might benefit from knowing more about this virus, I did a little online research. First, I found that those letters are an acronym for the hard-to-remember name of the bug: Respiratory Syncytial Virus. Then,...
